Antibiotics During Labor Ineffective for Group B Streptococcal Infection in Newborns

Antibiotics During Labor Ineffective for Group B Streptococcal Infection in Newborns

Researchers conducted a review of infants who had early-onset group B streptococcal (EOGBS) infections and were born in Southern California Kaiser Permanente Hospitals from 1988 through 1996. To summarize:

· 319 infants with EOGBS sepsis, bacteremia, or clinically suspected infection were identified from a population of 277,912 live births (approximately 1 in every 870 births).

· Of the 172 term infants with culture-positive infection who had clinical signs of infection, 95% exhibited them in the first 24 hours of life.

· All of the infants exposed to antibiotics during birth became ill within the first 24 hours of life.

Researchers concluded that "Exposure to antibiotics during labor did not change the clinical spectrum of disease or the onset of clinical signs of infection within 24 hours of birth for term infants with EOGBS infection."

Pediatrics August 2000; 106: 244-250

COMMENT: If the decision is made to start the antibiotics it is very important to start the infant on bifidus as soon as possible, and probably keep the doses going for at least 4-8 weeks so the gut can become completely recolonized with the beneficial bacteria.

The use of antibiotic treatment of pregnant women is even more of a concern in light of the fact that prevalence of this type of infection was recently found in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine to be as high as 29.5%, using a new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.

This could mean that nearly 1 out of every 3 pregnant women will be treated with antibiotics, despite the fact that only around 1 in every 870 newborns have even 'suspected' group b strep infections.